The new SmartBand will go on sale globally in March

Sony has made its mark in entertainment technology and is now taking that tradition to wearables with its new SmartBand wrist-wearable device.

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The new SmartBand with its waterproof core sensor technology goes on sale globally in March for a!99 (US$130), allowing customers to connect to an Android app called Lifelog, A the company announced at Mobile World Congress here on Monday.

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SmartBand will connect to any Android 4.4 (KitKat) device, not just the new Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone or Xperia Z2 Tablet, also announced Monday.

With the Lifelog app and SmartBand, Sony described how users can "effortlessly capture life and entertainment," including places visited, music listened to, games played and books read.

The core sensor in the SmartBand SWR10 connects to Android smartphones via Bluetooth and Near Field Communication. The core sensor itself --about an inch long and one-fourth inch wide--fits inside of a flexible wristband. It also has a micro USB connection for charging. The battery typically runs for seven days.

The first SmartBands will be available in black, but a variety of colors will appear after the launch.

When the SmartBand is beyond about 10 yards from the smartphone or other connected Android device, it will emit a vibration alert.A SmartBand measures a user's sleep using a vibration to wakeA you.A Tweets, calls and messages to the Android device are transmitted to the SmartBand with a vibration notification.

A Walkman app can be used to play, pause and skip music tracks when a user presses a button on the SmartBand or by tapping the band.

This story, "Sony's $130 SmartBand to combine fitness, entertainment, life experiences" was originally published by
Computerworld.